Prelude
by Crimson Masquerade
Summary: What if the sun and moon had actually touched a little earlier? Set ten years before the storyline. pre-IchiRuki, slight Rukia angst. Oneshot.


_Disclaimer: I would do anything to take five-year-old Ichigo home with me; alas, he and everything else in this belongs to Kubo._

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Waves lapping the shore of the sunset-bathed city. The shriek of laughter as a toddler held by her mother patted a dog and received a slobbery kiss in return. The smell of miso wafting through the teeming streets, where humans were meshed into a large crowd. The sun beginning its descent into the hills, casting the shore in an orange glow. Rukia had never been to downtown Tokyo before, and perhaps in another lifetime would have enjoyed the scene in front of her. After all, wasn't this why she was a shinigami in the first place? To preserve the happiness and safety of these people that were enjoying the summer evening?

Of course, Rukia was in no state to do so. And probably never would be.

A familiar clench of her chest accompanied the thought, and the young shinigami visibly winced. _Kaien-dono_. God, he would love to be here. He probably would have gone to the trouble to get a gigai for the event, so he could enjoy the evening with the rest of the crowd. After all, tonight was a celebration of some sort, that's why the area was so packed with people. He would probably be scarfing down all the ohagi he could pawn off the street vendor. And then start buying some for all the kids as well. And she would have to tell him to stop, that he shouldn't waste his paycheck on something as silly as food for children who didn't really need it. But at the same time she would love it, because that generosity was so…so _Kaien-dono_.

No.

Stop it.

Kaien-dono is gone.

He will never buy something for someone again. He will never get scolded by you again. He will never see you again.

God, wasn't this stupid mission supposed to help her forget about him?

_"Ne, Kuchiki, why don't you take a mission to the human world for a few days? It is a simple one; the current patroller of Tokyo, Japan wants to take a couple days off for vacation, and he needs someone to take over for him. The weather is supposed to be really nice there right now, the beginning of summer and all…what do you say, Kuchiki? It might be nice to have a change of scenery, ne? You haven't left Sereitei in months, ever since…" Ukitake-taicho broke off, his chalky face momentarily spasming with grief. He quickly got himself under control again and smiled at Rukia. It didn't meet his eyes. "Will you take it?"_

_"…Hai, Ukitake-taicho."_

What else could she have said? Her captain was worried about her, she wanted to make him feel better. He had enough worries without her being added to the list. Never mind that she was becoming more and more unresponsive by the day, as the grief and guilt and self-hatred became more and more potent. She had already accepted that this was how she would be from now on.

How could someone go on after they had murdered another? And when that person was Kaien-dono, the most beloved fukutaicho in all of Sereitei. The man who Rukia had respected, admired, loved. No, there was no recovering from that. Better to just let her be. She was a lost cause.

Why not take the mission? It wasn't like it would be any different from Sereitei, where everything—even the simple act of breathing—hurt. Nothing mattered anymore. Because he was gone. And she had killed him. Kaien was gone because of her.

But Ukitake-taicho didn't need to know that. So, like the good subordinate she was, she took the Senkaimon to Tokyo, Japan for her mission without a complaint. It had been strange being back in the human world after so long. Her last time had been with…

No. Stop it. No more thinking about him, _damn it_.

Rukia looked around for something to distract her. She was standing in an alleyway, detachedly watching the hustling crowd. It really was large, covering all the sidewalks and streets—it would be easy to get lost in the river of bodies. They all were oblivious. Oblivious to the fact that the world had already ended. No, not the world. Her world.

This mission was a bad idea. Rukia clutched her heart again, wincing at the pain that had become a constant, dull throb. She was never going to get over him. Especially not in this miserable, dirty, dark alleyway.

"Whatcha doin'?"

A chirpy voice snapped her out of her reverie. Rukia's eyes nearly opened in panic—was someone sneaking up to attack her? Then she realized how foolish that was. Of course no one was talking to her, no one could _see_ her. She kept her eyes squeezed shut.

"Hey, onee-chan. I'm talkin' to you! You're s'posed to answer when somebody talks to you!"

One violet eye opened, then found the location of the offending voice.

A scrawny human child with was standing in the alley, grinning at her. He had bright orange hair (impossibly brighter than the setting sun). In his little hand he held a glob of half-eaten cotton candy and she could see the chocolate smudges on his cheeks. Obviously, this little human had just wandered out of the crowd.

Rukia was about to turn away from the little boy—who definitely was NOT talking to her—when she saw his eyes. And the rest of his face, at first obscured by the shadows from the sun.

Impossible.

It had to be a trick of the light—or her own desperate imagination.

There is no way that the boy in front of her could look so much like Kaien-dono. It wasn't possible.

_God, if you exist, why are you doing this to me? To laugh at me? Why can't you just leave me alone? Why would you bring this to me, this person…just a cruel reminder…_

"Do you even talk, onee-chan? Hello?" said the petulant little boy. Then he squinted closer at her. "…Huh? You look sad! Why are you sad?!"

She could leave. One shunpo would send her halfway across this city from this child, who was not supposed to be able to see her but could; who was not supposed to resemble Kaien-dono but did. She wouldn't have to talk to him ever again. She could continue to be left alone with her grief. It would be easy. But somehow, she felt an unexplainable pull to the little human boy. Perhaps it was his resemblance to the man she had loved.

Perhaps not.

So, she heard herself responding.

"I…I _am_ kind of sad, actually."

_What am I doing?_

The boy's brown eyes grew big.

"Aha! You do talk! But…why are you sad, onee-chan? Did somebody beat you up?" The boy scrunched up his face. "Sometimes…the older kids at school do that to me. They tell me I'm not s'posed to have orange hair." He ran a hand through his bristly sun-kissed hair and frowned a little bit.

Pity flashed across Rukia's face. A sudden urge of—protectiveness?—toward him pulsed through her body. She didn't want anyone to hurt this little boy. The thought of his still-pudgy cheeks being hit made her blood boil. Who would want to hurt such an innocent child?

"I'm sorry. But do you want to know a secret?" Rukia said, kneeling in toward the boy. A wry smile was forming across her face. The boy leaned in, a grin mirroring hers.

"What?"

"I think…they're jealous of you," she whispered conspiratorially. "They wish they could have cool hair like you. They also probably wish they could be as cool as you are. You shouldn't be afraid of them, because you're a twice the boy that they will ever be."

The boy's big brown eyes shone and he chirped, "Yeah! I'm not scared of those dumb bullies. Plus, I gotta be a big boy and big boys aren't scared. I got a real important job."

"Oh? What's that?" Genuine curiosity creeped into Rukia's voice. She found herself kneeling in toward the little boy even closer, hypnotized by his brown orbs that had a light of their own in the dying sunlight.

"I gotta protect! That's what my name means! Duh!"

"Oh, I see. That _is_ important. Who do you protect?"

"Well, I got lots of people to protect. I got Daddy, and Mommy, and my brother or sister in Mommy's tummy. I don't want them to be sad, I want them to be happy and smile forever!"

Rukia smiled at this. He was so sincere, and she could tell every word he was telling he meant with his whole heart.

"You are a brave boy. How old are you?"

"Five!"

"Wow, I bet your Mommy and Daddy are really proud of you." Rukia said, her smile unconsciously growing. It was probably this boy's infectious smile, you couldn't help but respond to it.

At that moment, the little boy's eyes got even bigger. Now that she was closer to him, Rukia could see that they weren't exactly like Kaien's at all—they were a soft, bright brown. They were truly this boy's own. She was so swept away by their brightness that she almost missed the words that came out of his high-pitched voice.

"Guess what? I like your smile, onee-chan! Soo…I just decided! I am going to protect you too! Then you can smile like that all the time."

Rukia stared dumbly. This child who probably was too young to even spell _shingami_…protect _her_? Besides, Rukia thought sadly…she didn't deserve to be…protected. She was a murderer. Her hands had been dyed in innocent blood. So, why would this boy who exuded purity want to talk to, let alone protect, her? Didn't he see that she was contaminated?

"Why would you want to do that for me? You don't even know me."

"So? I know who you are on the inside, onee-chan," the boy said, holding his hand over his heart. "You are nice and pretty and most of all, you're special. You just don't know it yet! But don't worry, I'm still your friend! I think you're the coolest onee-chan ever." Ichigo grinned.

Rukia wanted to argue with the boy some more. He was being ridiculous. He didn't even know her. Yet the look that his face shone at her was so bright, so pure, so fulfilled at his recent discovery…she couldn't help but smile and say, "All right then."

He grinned. "Good. 'Cause I like it when you smile." He paused, figuring out what he was trying to say. "Okay, from now on I'm gonna protect you! Don't worry! Whenever you feel sad or scared, just call for me!"

Rukia's eyes softened. "Okay. But…how can someone protect me if I don't even know his name?"

"Oh! Oh yeah! I forgot! My name is—"

"_Ichigo!_"

The boy whipped around at the voice, and a big smile grew across his face as he ran into the arms of a beautiful woman who was standing at the entrance to the alley. She was obviously pregnant, yet still there was a place in her arms for her son—Ichigo—whom she embraced with a sort of frantic relief.

"Ichigo, we were so worried about you! Your Daddy and I have been looking for you everywhere! I was so—scared—" The woman broke off and buried her face in her son's orange locks. "Don't let go of my hand when we're in a crowd like this again, do you understand me Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Ichigo nodded. "Sorry, mommy," he said in a small voice. It was obvious he didn't want to see her worried.

"Good. I'm just so happy you're alright. Come on, let's go find your daddy. He probably went looking for you and got lost himself now," she said, a small laugh on her lips. She took Ichigo's hand and pulled him gently away from the alleyway.

"Okay, mommy!" Ichigo started cheerfully, then paused and gasped. "WAIT! I forgot! What's your name, onee—" he whirled around. Shock and disappointment crossed his face as the spot where his new friend had been was now empty. "Where…where did she go?" He asked, pulling his mother back toward the deserted alley, looking up and down along the shadowed walls.

"Where did _who_ go?"

"My new friend! I promised I would protect her, but I don't even know her name! I wanna talk to her some more! But she's not here any more…" Ichigo broke off, looking distraught.

Masaki sighed, then knelt down so that she was face to face with her son.

"Ichigo, honey, I don't think there was anyone there."

"Mommy! Don't say that about my new friend!"

"Sweetie, I didn't see anyone with you when I found you. Now I know you love to pretend, but you do need to know that this friend isn't real."

-"W-what? But…she talked to me! She smiled at me! She was pretty. She had weird black clothes on too. She…she really wasn't real?"

Masaki ran a hand through her son's hair. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's go find daddy. It's time to go." She pulled on his hand again, a little firmer, and after a moment of hesitation Ichigo huffed and ran to be next to her. She grinned, and tickled him in his side—his only ticklish spot—and he shrieked with laughter. Mother and son walked side-by-side as they made their way onto the busy street. Neither were aware of the violet eyes trained on their departing forms.

From her perch atop a nearby convenience store, Rukia Kuchiki had resumed her role of watching the citizens of Tokyo, senses attuned to any whisper of hollow activity. However, at the moment she had eyes for only one person. A skinny, orange-haired little boy with the brightest smile she had ever seen. Walking with his beautiful mother, laughing with her, the picture of innocence and happiness. The very opposite of what Rukia was. Yet somehow, not anymore…quite so much.

As if his brightness were like a mini-sun, he had entered her world and brightened the endless night that had surrounded her. It was a small light, but strong. And that little, lone light transformed her pitch blackness into something else—not her own light, but maybe the first step toward it. And in that moment, Rukia knew that she would heal. Maybe not soon, maybe not in fifty years, but someday. And that first step, that first step of healing, had come from a little human boy named Ichigo.

"I will protect you."

Impossible, silly. What shinigami would need protecting from a newborn human?Yet true.

"It's not onee-chan, it's Kuchiki Rukia," she said quietly.

With a new unexplainable lightness—as if a heavy load had been taken off her shoulders—Rukia smiled warmly at the retreating form of the little boy who had stumbled into her world for a few moments and somehow started to heal the gaping hole in her heart. What a strange human, Rukia mused, eyes closed in newfound peace and wholeness.

Maybe that was Kaien, trying to speak to her from beyond the grave…it would explain that boy's resemblance. But an unexplainable feeling in her gut said a resounding "No". That boy, Ichigo, was entirely his own person. Not a replacement, not a substitute, not a doppelganger. He was Ichigo, protector of his family…_and of me_.

That boy will truly grow up to be extraordinary. And maybe if I'm lucky, I will get to see him again sometime. Until then, ja ne.

One boy. One shinigami. An accidental encounter. The story of destiny begins.

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_Did you like it? I have had this scenario floating around in my head for a while—of Ichigo as a child (before his mom's fateful death) interacting with Rukia and helping her heal from Kaien without even realizing it. I guess Ichigo, with his terrible memory, didn't remember this encounter—but maybe Rukia does? That's up to your own interpretation. c:_

_I have never written a five-year-old before and hope I did an okay job. I haven't had tons of experience of seeing how they talk or interact. Just know this was my best attempt. ;__;_

_This fic was inspired by 398. I mean srsly. That was the most epic IchiRuki shoutout ever, and really solidified that they make a wonderful couple. Not only are they SMEXAY together, they both help each other grow into better people. There is something about Rukia that moves Ichigo so that he can't help but be affected (chapter 398 case in point), and (this story case in point) something about Ichigo that does the same for her!_

_Anyway, please review. It really is the best reward for an author. I love to know that people are actually enjoying my works. And of course if you didn't like it then I want to know that too! How else do people improve?_

_PS I am thinking about writing a companion chapter/semi-epilogue to this, but I would only do it if I knew people would want to read it. Now I don't usually like when people use reviews as incentive for the next chapter, but I really just want to see if people would actually read more of this. It would be a follow-up of sorts, taking place in the future. And that's all the details for now. :3_

_Thanks loves~_


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